Wednesday, December 28, 2011

I love many things about Christmas time. Mostly the beauty of lights and smells and sparkling things. Family and friends gathering together to eat and drink and play and give and receive. It can also be quite stressful. Expectations run high for a perfect Hallmark Holiday. People get disappointed, kids have issues, money is tight. This year I strove not to get caught up in all that. Money is tight for me, so I kept gift giving to a minimum. A $20 for each grandchild plus something I made or already had around the house was given. Adults got a nice edible treat along with some good coffee beans and/or a lovely box of tea. Most were thrilled with their gifts. I had been putting pressure on myself a few weeks before to give each person more money. Then realized my mortgage was due. I snapped myself back to reality, and paid that important bill first. Each of my grandchildren have so very much in the way of possessions. Lots of relatives pile gifts onto them. I think they choose one or two favorites and ignore the rest. The decision to go minimal was a huge relief for me, and as the weeks go by and kids rooms need cleaning, my hope is that they will be happy with maintaining fewer possessions. Being responsible for so many things is exhausting. This is a small house and there is little room for things. Downsizing is very important!
I love this video of George Carlin talking about "Stuff"

Looking forward to the new year, there is still so much work to do! I am getting a roommate soon. She will be here by January 5th or so. The master bedroom and bathroom need to be totally emptied and cleaned, a hall cupboard will also be hers, so that needs to be emptied. More things need to be purged from my life. I feel like I have been wrangling things back and forth for months. With the garage to studio renovation, the bead studio and just general household possessions of 13 plus years it has been a huge task. The shed in the back yard was full of some yard work tools and garden supplies, but mostly useless "stuff". It is now cleaned out, shelves are installed and it is organized and some things from the garage are now properly stored in the shed. Each week I put out recycling as well as trash from the shed and that is almost all gone. Some construction leftovers are still on my driveway, but that pile is getting smaller each week too. The camping gear I had stored in the garage and then on my driveway for my daughter is now back at her house and the ugly tarp I had covering it is out of my driveway as well. The house will look much nicer when everything else is gone. I like a pretty yard.

Moving forward to 2012 and a fresh start to the new year is exciting. I can plow myself back into the bead business in a large, clean and organized space. My focus can be back where it belongs, creating new designs, writing instructions, making kits and earning a living doing what I love! I hope your New Year is full of goodness and fun and that your burdens will lighten as the year marches on.

Sunday, December 18, 2011

The Talmadge Art Pop Up Show Was Wonderful!
The sun shone most of the day, there was a crisp chill in the air with a few clouds moving in later in the afternoon. Being an outdoor show, we were fine with clouds that didn't spritz us! The mood was happy and fun, Sharon and Alan's garden is lovely. Here's a shot of my booth. The sun was really bright. Not the most ideal light for shooting black velvet! I was so busy setting up and helping customers that walking around taking photos slipped my mind!

Two of my students from the Mastering the Curl class dropped by for a little shopping. The two Maggies. This Maggie wore her finished Curl. It came out so elegant with the color palette she chose to match her lamp work bead. It is perfect as a focal point nestled into the opening in the curl. Nice job!

Time to relax a bit and think about Christmas. My friend Ginger is in town from Santa Cruise and will be staying with me for the holiday. And my granddaughter, Kayla will be here for two nights this week for a sleep over with grandma! YAY!!!

Thursday, December 15, 2011

Char of Homer Alaska!
Congratulations, Char. Your name was pulled out of the little basket this morning as I was drinking my first sips of coffee. I will send your box of goodies accumulated over the last 8 days to you via Priority Mail. I know you will have a wonderful time playing with this treasury.

Thank you everyone who participated in this fun Blog Hop. I hope you have a wonderful, blissful, beadiful Holiday no matter how you celebrate it!

Wednesday, December 14, 2011

It is the final day of the Share the Love Blog Hop! It has been so fun "shopping" in my own stash for each day's wonderful gifts. I have a special gift for today, a Judi Patuti bead matt.

This is a wonderful roll up matt with a Velux® pad sewn into the inside, a little stash container and a place for scissors, needle case, etc. The fabric is fun and fanciful. Judi Patuti is Marcia DeCoster's friend and another very creative woman in our world of amazing entrepreneurs.

Bead Matt with gift bags from all 7 Days

The inside of the Judi Patuti Bead Matt.

Tonight, I will draw one more name from the comments an pop it into the hat. Tomorrow morning, the grand prize winner will be announced in the blog. Thank you everyone for all your comments and warm wishes for my blue day the other day. I snapped myself out of it with the search for beauty right where I live. A little appreciation of my own good fortune always helps! I am happy to share my bead wealth and a bit of my good life with you!

I've been a bit blue lately. Maybe it is the holidays, family scattered and too busy. The weather, gray and rainy. Hey, but I love the rain! Anyway, today I decided to roll with it, put on some blues music and choose dark blues for the palette. It is quite pretty! Of course prettier in person. They were a bit difficult to photograph properly. In today's bag: Blue gold stone squares and large drops, cobalt squares and faceted beads, raku finish glass beads and a blue dichroic button.

Monday, December 12, 2011

It may be snowing where you are, but here in San Diego, CA the leaves are falling. Right into the Blog Hop gift box! These beautiful glass, Lucite and metal leaves will be a wonderful addition to your stash of components. Create something beautiful with spring in mind.

Talmadge Art Show"PoP Up Show" this Saturday in San Diego
I am honored to be one of 10 artists chosen to participate in this impromptu Talmadge Art Show. This very popular, high end show began at the home of Sharon and Alan 20 years ago. This Saturday, the show returns to their home in San Diego's Talmadge neighborhood. Please come support your local artists and boost your cultural experience as well as the arts!
Location & DirectionsSaturday, December 17th
10:00 am to 4:00 pm
4514 Norma Drive, San Diego 92115www.talmadgeartshow.com

Interstate-8 to Mission Gorge / Fairmont Exit
Go South on Fairmont
Exit at Aldine and go to the Stop sign
Go left and go under Fairmont and up the hill
Make the first left at 47th street
The road splits..bear to the left on Norma Drive
5th house on left

Sunday, December 11, 2011

A beautiful selection of tiny, medium, keshi and dagger pearls for you to play with! I learned that many people prefer not to have their email address on a public blog. So, I will announce the winner's name on December 15th's blog and give you 24 ours to email me so I can get an address to send your package to. All of my contact info is on my website.

Mastering the Curl at The Bouncing Bead in La Mesa
"The Curl Girls" Naomi, Maggie, Maggie and Gretchen! Their colors were so beautiful. Each Curl from Mastering the Curl will be radically different from each other because of color and size differences each student chose. Mastering the Curl was added to the schedule because these students wanted to have this class.

Naomi, the two Maggies and Gretchen

These four women have been beading and knitting together for years. They went next door to Two Sisters and Ewe to shop for yarns before the Curl class started. I love that there is a creative center here in La Mesa with the bead shop, yarn shop and a dichroic glass store all in a row! What a fun day we had yesterday. By request of these four bead crazed women, we will add "La Femme Spirit" to the schedule in February or March. This is a two day class. Calendars have to be opened and we will announce the date as soon as we've made a choice. I will keep you posted on the date so you can attend as well.

Saturday, December 10, 2011

Dark Olivine!
I love this palette because it is a perfect neutral for so many other colors. I am off to teach workshops this morning, so I will keep it short. I learned that many people prefer not to have their email address on a public blog. So, I will announce the winner's name on December 15th's blog and give you 24 ours to email me so I can get an address to send your package to. All of my contact info is on my website.

Dark Olivine! My favorite neutral palette!

My dog Jasmine before she went to the groomers. Jasmine is a German Wire Haird Pointer. That hair can be styled without hair products due to it's wiry nature. Especially when it is dirty, LOL! She has a shorter haircut now. The long hair was falling into her eyes most of the time!

Friday, December 9, 2011

Glacial Ice!
Today's gift bag has beautiful White and Ice Blue beads, two Rivolis, one Ice Blue rectangular Rhinestone and a drilled Snowy White Quartz Drusy! Very hard to photograph, but the beads are lovely and Wintery.

As you can see, I have two names in the basket for the drawing. I learned that many people prefer not to have their email address on a public blog. So, I will announce the winner's name on December 15th's blog and give you 24 ours to email me so I can get an address to send your package to. All of my contact info is on my website.

Thursday, December 8, 2011

DayTwo of the Blog Hop! For me it's all about color. I am inspired by color and combinations of compatible colors get me very excited. So, for the Blog Hop Gifts, I am putting together a little package of daily colors. It willbe whatever strikes my fancy each day. I found one of my cameras, sadly the new one was not in the same box, but I will find it hopefully. Meanwhile, I am catching up with photos of Day 1 and Day 2 gift bag contents. YUM!!! I will draw a name from each day's comments list, throw them into a hat and at the end of the Blog Hop, a lucky winner will be drawn from that hat. I learned that many people prefer not to have their email address on a public blog. So, I will announce the winner's name on December 15th's blog and give you 24 ours to email me so I can get an address to send your package to. All of my contact info is on my website.

Blog Hop Day 1 Gifts

Blog Hop Day 2 Gifts

Weekend Workshops for San Diego Area Beaders!
I am teaching two of my favorite classes this Saturday, December 10 at the Bouncing Bead in La Mesa. The morning class is The Wave Bracelet 10:00 am - 2:00 pm. The afternoon class is Mastering the Curl 2:30 pm - 5:30 pm.

Sunday is another half day workshop, Tempting Tassels from 12:30 pm - 3:30 pm. The photo does not do them any justice at all. They are so bright and glowing with the white and silver beads and crystals that none of my photos came out like I wished. Trust me, they are fabulous in person. you can make them in Christmas colors or not! Your choice!
We still have space in both sessions, so come for the day or half the day and play with us!

When I locate my camera, I will take a photo of the special gift that will go to a randomly chosen person leaving a comment on my blog! The perils of moving even from room to studio is that things get lost! Two cameras are missing, so I know they must be in a box together. I hope they're having fun!

I've been M.I.A. from Beady Eyed Women® for an entire month with the construction. It is finished now! However, I still have lots of moving in to do.

It feels like my house has doubled in size. That is possible, actually. My house is really small and the garage is huge! The before picture below is after removing all the stuff from the garage and the construction guys have just arrived to begin work. See the water heater in the back right corner? It is still there, but the washer & dryer are no longer to the left of it but along the wall to the right. To the left is where the shower, then commode, then sink are now. Hard to imagine at the beginning!

It's not perfect just yet. It is so amazing to look at the newly painted walls, and all my bead racks up and loaded with beads, work tables in place, I'm ready to fill orders. I have to tell myself,

Wow, look what I have accomplished! It began as an idea and a need for another bathroom so I could rent the master bedroom along with a bathroom. I tapped into savings, which made me nervous at first. Then realized this investment is worth it! The rented room will generate much needed income. the new bathroom is really close to my bedroom and not across the entire house.

The water heater is hidden behind a white curtain. Much prettier.

A plus at night especially. The work involved was daunting and I needed to remind myself to take one step at a time, one day at a time. Now it is finished. Looking back it seems funny. I can't even imagine the old space. The new one is so wonderful!
I took my first shower in the new bathroom just 4 days ago. It is a very pretty bathroom. White with chartreuse rugs and towels, chrome fixtures and black & white curtains and accessories. Very hip and modern with a bit of a MacKenzie Childs feel. My new washer and dryer, which reside in the bathroom, are really pretty! Back to the studio!!!